Boeing's demonstrator for the land- and carrier-based versions, the X-32A, recently completed flight tests which included: low-speed aircraft carrier approach tests; aerial refueling; supersonic flight; and side-mounted weapons bay vibration and acoustic tests. The short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) prototype (X-32B), featuring redirected engine fan and exhaust flows like the existing Harrier, was scheduled to fly by the end of March.

Lockheed Martin's X-35C, its carrier-capable demonstrator which features an enlarged wing, is now at the Patuxent River test center for the Navy for continued carrier testing. The conventional takeoff version (X-35A) for the Air Force completed its test program late last year and is being outfitted with an engine-driven lift fan for STOVL flight testing as the X-35B. These flights should start by late spring.

A few weeks ago, Ford Motor Co. quietly announced that it was rolling out a new wrinkle to the powerful safety feature called stability control, adding even more lifesaving potential to a technology that has already been very successful.

It won't be too much longer and hardware design, as we used to know it, will be remembered alongside the slide rule and the Karnaugh map. You will need to move beyond those familiar bits and bytes into the new world of software centric design.

People who want to take advantage of solar energy in their homes no longer need to install a bolt-on solar-panel system atop their houses -- they can integrate solar-energy-harvesting shingles directing into an existing or new roof instead.

Focus on Fundamentals consists of 45-minute on-line classes that cover a host of technologies. You learn without leaving the comfort of your desk. All classes are taught by subject-matter experts and all are archived. So if you can't attend live, attend at your convenience.